Lipgloss

MAC Tartan Tale: Happily Ever After Lip Kit

Happily Ever After Lip Kit ($22.50) is a trio of lip products, featuring one sheer lipglass and two lipsticks. This is a very pink-themed lip palette that does run a bit cool-toned, but it’s very wearable for both cool and warm skin tones. Lip palettes tend to be a hate it or love it kind of product; either you love the utility and portability of them or find them impractical and frustrating. I belong to the latter camp, so I’ve always leaned towards MAC’s Lip Bags during the holidays!

The lip palette includes: Endless Fun (sheer frosty pink), Cheers All Around (bright candy pink), and To Joy (medium pink). All three shades are new and limited edition to this palette.

Endless Fun is a shimmering pale, milky pink with champagne-gold shimmer. It is a lipglass. It’s a lot like Oyster Girl.

Cheers All Around is an opaque bright medium pink with blue undertones and lighter pink-fuchsia shimmer. It is a frost finish lipstick, but it’s not very frosty. This shade is a cross between Bombshell and Creme de la Femme.

To Joy is a semi-sheer pale peach-pink with heavy frosted shimmer. It is a frost finish lipstick. High Strung was the closest dupe I could think of, but it’s a little darker. It looks nicer swatched than on my lips!

The palette contains one lipglass (0.03 oz.) and two lipsticks (0.09 oz.). A full-sized lipglass (0.17 oz.) retails for $14.50, while a full-sized lipstick (0.10 oz.) retails for $14.50. It also has a tiny 316SE brush. In this case, you’re getting $2.56 worth of lipglass and $13.05 worth of lipstick–so it’s just over $15 worth of product but the price tag is $22.50. Not such a hot deal in regards to quantity, but the other side of the coin is you get to try three shades for $22.50 vs. $43.50.

MAC’s lipsticks vary from sheer to opaque, and finish doesn’t always tell the story on pigmentation, so these shades seem in line with the brand’s lipstick range. If you like pinks, this is totally up your alley; if you’re not so into pinks, it won’t make your must-buy list. I don’t think these shades are the most unique, so if you just spot one you’re interested, try giving one of the suggested dupes a shot.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 27/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: Though a little cooler in tone, it’s not terribly cool. I expect that Cheers All Around will grab some eyes, as it’s a nice bright pink without being neon.

MAC Tartan Tale: A Fabulous Fantasy Lip Kit

A Fabulous Fantasy Lip Kit ($22.50) is a trio of lip products, featuring one sheer lipglass and two lipsticks. There’s a nice variety in the finishes, and they do seem to coordinate well–they are all a touch on the warm side, but not too warm. Lip palettes tend to be a hate it or love it kind of product; either you love the utility and portability of them or find them impractical and frustrating. I belong to the latter camp, so I’ve always leaned towards MAC’s Lip Bags during the holidays!

The lip palette includes: Heroic Tale (sparkle flesh tone), Imagine This (pinky beige), and Storybook Ending (raisin). All three shades are new and limited edition to this palette.

Heroic Tale is a shimmering bronzy nude with flecks of champagne and copper shimmer. It is a lipglass. It appears rather sheer on lips and looks glossy with shimmer in it but doesn’t change the lip color much, if at all. It’s a little lighter than Mad Cap and Sinnamon, but they have similar effects when worn.

Imagine This is a peach with an orange-brown tone with a creamy look to it. It is an amplified finish lipstick. This is very pigmented and looks opaque on lips. It’s a much more orange version of Peachstock, but it seems a bit darker than Ravishing.

Storybook Ending is a plum-tinged brown with gold micro-shimmer and a high-gloss shine. It is a lustre finish lipstick, so despite looking darker in the swatch, it applies very sheer. It imparts mostly a glow and light shine while adding some darkness to my natural lip color. It seems similar, but lighter, than Polished Up.

The palette contains one lipglass (0.03 oz.) and two lipsticks (0.09 oz.). A full-sized lipglass (0.17 oz.) retails for $14.50, while a full-sized lipstick (0.10 oz.) retails for $14.50. It also has a tiny 316SE brush. In this case, you’re getting $2.56 worth of lipglass and $13.05 worth of lipstick–so it’s just over $15 worth of product but the price tag is $22.50. Not such a hot deal in regards to quantity, but the other side of the coin is you get to try three shades for $22.50 vs. $43.50.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 27/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: This is a warmer lip palette, but the shades aren’t too warm — I think some of our cooler beauties could rock it, too.

MAC Tartan Tale: Dazzle the Lads Lip Bag

Each year, MAC puts out a couple of lip products in specially designed/packaged bags, and this year is no different. The Dazzle the Lads Lip Bag ($36.00) includes Moth to Flame (sheer neutral beige; dazzleglass), Baron’s Rose (medium rose; lipstick), and Draw Me Close (dusty rose; lip pencil).

Both the lipstick and dazzleglass are full-sized, while the lip pencil is miniaturized (about half the size of regular lip pencils). The dazzleglass is permanent, while the other two are new and limited edition to this set. The lip products come with a tartan patterned bag that’s a little larger than my hand. It’ll certainly hold all of the products it comes with, along with a few more. The bag is the same for both lip sets.

Moth to Flame is a sheer peach with white shimmer. On my lips, it just brightens my natural lip color and adds glossiness. It’s part of the permanent line-up of dazzleglasses. As pretty as dazzleglasses are when worn, their quantity/price ratio really leaves something to be desired.

Baron’s Rose is a semi-sheer reddened berry with strong gold shimmer and sheen. It is a cremesheen finish lipstick. It’s extremely similar to Fun Bathing (from To the Beach) — Baron’s Rose is slightly redder/darker, but they are very, very close. It’s a lovely color, though.

Draw Me Close is a browned pink. It’d be great to use as a neutral lip liner.

Value-wise, the Lip Bag is okay but it’s not a showstopping deal. You’re getting a full-sized lipstick ($14.50), full-sized dazzleglass ($18.00), and a half-sized lip pencil ($7.00), which is a total value of $39.50. If you include the bag, then you’ll feel like you’re getting a bit more for your money.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 26/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: It’s a real shame that Baron’s Rose has several similar pre-existing shades, because it’s a gorgeous shade. Festive but still perfect for autumn!

MAC Tartan Tale: Vain & Glorious Lip Bag

Each year, MAC puts out a couple of lip products in specially designed/packaged bags, and this year is no different. The Vain & Glorious Lip Bag ($36.00) includes Baby Sparks (sparkly baby pink; dazzleglass), Mellow Mood (sheer pink; lipstick), and In Synch (light pink; lip pencil).

Both the lipstick and dazzleglass are full-sized, while the lip pencil is miniaturized (about half the size of regular lip pencils). None of the products in the kit are new; Baby Sparks is permanent, while Mellow Mood and In Synch are both repromotes.

The lip products come with a tartan patterned bag that’s a little larger than my hand. It’ll certainly hold all of the products it comes with, along with a few more. The bag is the same for both lip sets. It seems well-made to me; it definitely doesn’t look or feel cheap just by handling it. If tartan is your thing, cool–if it’s not, well, pass it on to a friend.

Baby Sparks is a sheer, milky baby pink with icy pink shimmer. On my l ips, it just lightens up my natural lip color a bit and adds a lot of glossiness. It’s part of the permanent line-up of dazzleglasses. As pretty as dazzleglasses are when worn, their quantity/price ratio really leaves something to be desired.

Mellow Mood is a semi-sheer softened pink with subtle gold shimmer. It’s a little milky, and it has a lustre finish. Since it’s not too cool, it works on both cooler and warmer skin tones. It was originally launched with Electroflash back in 2008.

In Synch is a coraled pink. It is a lip pencil, and it was originally launched with Too Fabulous earlier this year in the spring.

Value-wise, the Lip Bag is okay but it’s not a showstopping deal. You’re getting a full-sized lipstick ($14.50), full-sized dazzleglass ($18.00), and a half-sized lip pencil ($7.00), which is a total value of $39.50. If you include the bag, then you’ll feel like you’re getting a bit more for your money.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 26/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: If you like pink lips, this is definitely your set. If you have really pigmented lips, this set might not do much for you, as both lipstick/dazzleglass are on the sheerer side.

Beauty Rules?!

Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules Face Palette ($45.00) has me at odds! I do and don’t like this palette. I do LOVE the new and exclusive Pot Rouge shades to this palette. I also adore the packaging–I just think it’s cute and fits so well with the theme. I absolutely do not like the eyeshadows included in the palette, and I really disliked both of the sparkle eyeshadows.

My dislike of those two eyeshadows actually overwhelmed me for awhile, because I kept giving this palette a look of disdain. Once I sat down to write the review, though, I realized that only two of ten products weren’t so hot. I do think the Pot Rouges are really the highlight out of this palette, because they are wearable, flattering shades. Both shades are exclusive to the palette, as are the two lip glosses and Eclipse eyeshadow. (Ivory is permanent; Lightning, Orchid, and Crystal Gold have been in previous palettes.)

Ivory is a matte white ivory. If you have a few Bobbi Brown palettes, you probably have this shade somewhere! It’s similar to MAC’s Blanc Type.

Lightning is a sheer, softened gray taupe with silver shimmer and has a sparkle finish. It was in Bobbi Brown’s Aquamarine Palette.Orchid is sheer, sparkly lilac with a sparkle finish. This was in Bobbi Brown’s Orchid Palette, and I disliked it as much then as I do now. It’s just a mess to apply–fall out everywhere.

Eclipse is a matte, stormy black. It’s a nice black, but it doesn’t stand out strongly against other matte blacks available.

Baby Pink is a rosy pink with cool, blue undertones. It can be built up for a more intense look or blended out for a rosy flush. I was reminded a bit of Benefit’s Posietint, but Posietint is not as buildable.

Homecoming Pink is a medium pink with neutral undertones. It’s as wearable and buildable as Baby Pink, just darker and neutral. Fun find: Pale Pink from the Orchid Palette is a mix of Baby Pink and Homecoming Pink!

Rum is a sheer rosy brown. It has a little milkiness to it, but it’s not as milky or as pale as Air Kiss.

Crystal Gold is a sheer glossy base with metallic bronze and copper shimmer. This is a Glitter Lip Balm, but I’d like this more layered over a lipstick. It’s a little streaky on its own.

Jet is a creamy, jet black eyeliner. It wore well, and it wasn’t too soft or hard, though swatching it lightly on the back of your hand initially is recommended, just to wear down the sharpened point.

The palette contains 0.02 oz. Creamy Eye Pencil, 0.04 oz. x4 Eyeshadows, 0.07 oz. x2 Pot Rouges, 0.04 oz. x2 of Lip Gloss, and 0.04 oz. Glitter Lip Balm. After going through the math, the palette is a good deal. It’s not a fantastic deal, but it’s not a rip off. You get about $10 worth of Eyeliner, $20 worth of Eyeshadows, $15 worth of Sparkle Eyeshadows, $10 worth of Pot Rouge, $10 worth of Lip Gloss, and $5 worth of Glitter Lip Balm–so somewhere around $65 to 70 in value.

I don’t feel like this is a great palette for teenagers. Even though sparkle is fun and they always say it’s for the young (pfft!), both shades are prone to fall out, and I think the last thing a makeup newcomer should have to deal with is that. The Pot Rouges are forgiving, because they’re so blendable, and the lip colors are natural and wear with most looks–but it’s the eyeshadows that seem out of place for a palette geared towards teenagers.

P.S. — Though I am not a fan of lip palettes, particularly when lip colors are mixed with powder products, I did not let that personal bias influence the rating or grading of this palette, but I do still feel that way about them–haven’t changed my mind!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 25/30

Value: 9/10

Ease of Use: 3/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: My gut says to pass on this, but if you’re a Pot Rouge fan like me, those pinks are hard to pass up.

Chanel Holiday 2010: Pleasing

Chanel Pleasing Glossimer ($27.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is new and limited edition just in time for the holidays, and it’s the most pigmented shade of the three holiday Glossimers. I always find this kind of color difficult to describe, but I would say Pleasing is a semi-sheer metallic bronze muted by burgundy with multi-colored shimmer.

Glossimers are nearly non-sticky but still have a little tackiness to them, though they are lightweight, non-drying, and last three to four hours on me. They’re scent- and taste-free as well. Some of them are more pigmented but the majority have been on the sheerer side based on my experience.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!